IPFs are often managed by configuring an industrial plant control system (IPCS). Example processing facilities include manufacturing plants, chemical plants, crude oil refineries, and ore processing plants. Among other operations, process control systems typically manage the use of motors, valves, and other industrial equipment in the processing facilities. In conventional process control systems, controllers are often used to control the operation of the industrial equipment in the processing facilities. The controllers could, for example, monitor and control the operation of the industrial equipment and generate alarms when malfunctions occur.
“Control processes” are often implemented in conventional controllers using “function blocks.” Control processes typically represent processes or functions implemented by the conventional controllers to control the industrial equipment in the processing facilities. Function blocks typically represent executable software objects that perform specific tasks. Any of a wide range of functions could be represented by the function blocks. A combination of particular function blocks may be used to implement a specific control process in a conventional controller.
As used herein mobile equipment (ME) refers to equipment which is not installed in a fixed place in an IPF. The ME can comprise a device (e.g., a sensor) that is coupled by a wired connection to an I/O module (IOM) to exchange analog and digital signals with a process controller. As used herein an IOM can be implemented in software, in firmware, in hardware, in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a customer programmable logic device (CPLD), and/or in a field programmable gate array (FPGA). A ME is generally a combination of hardware and software that is also configurable.
The ME is described herein in a non-limiting example is a field device (e.g., a sensor) coupled to an IOM in the examples described below. The IOM of the ME is connectable by a physical connection to generally communicate over the Ethernet with the process controller. The process controller connects and disconnects with the IOM of the ME, and when connected receives data from the ME generally over the Ethernet through the IO. The ME can broadly comprise essentially any ME, such as a modular process skid (a process system contained within a frame that allows the process system to be easily transported), a robot, or a tool changer which supports or executes the reconfiguration/restructuration.
The ME can thus be physically moved around to fulfill production exercises. If the same process control algorithm needs to be applied to multiple places, it can be done using a moveable I/O of different production ME units. Depending on its physical construction an ME can be either for a single purpose or for a multi-purpose. The MEs can be classed (or typed). ME classes are the logical set of physical ME instances with the same layout and/or purpose(s). For example, if ME class A comprises a particular field device (e.g., a pressure sensor) and an I/O module, the ME class will change if there is a temperature sensor with an I/O module and thus a different purpose. Several different classes of MEs are usually attached to each process controller.
In a production station comprising machines and devices, to establish a communication connection between MEs and a process controller, MEs are physically connected to the control system at a ME host bay which is a place at a production station where an ME can be physically connected (or disconnected) by an individual such as an operator. The term ‘production station’ as used herein is a place in an industrial plant where equipment such as a reactor or a machine, and their supporting devices/installations are installed in order to support a field operator to execute steps to produce a product or a material. This conventionally requires electronically and mechanically manually connecting and disconnecting the ME's process operation under control of the control system. The manual steps include connection or disconnection of process flows, connection or disconnection of communication networks and configuration or de-configuration of SW control objects.